Given that the League isn't that far away and that there's no news on Gen V, it's pretty safe to assume we're heading for another filler saga afterwards... Now, last time in the Kanto Battle Frontier, Ash took with him Pikachu, Swellow, Grovyle, Corphish and Panphy, leaving Torkoal and Glalie at Oak. So, in the next filler saga, which of Ash's current pokemon do you think will be taken off his roster and why ?
Pikachu stays of course, Staraptor and Gible too. Now, while I love the character, I think Infernape will get the boot... All of the major events that happenned to him have been linked to Paul and since he's fully evolved and that a potential Paul vs Ash match at the league with Ash would litteraly close every single one of Infernape's plotlines... The more I think about it, the more the crazy theory that Infernape will return to Paul seems more and more plausible... But oaked or pauled, I don't see Infernape staying on Ash's roster after the League...
Now between Buizel and Torterra... If we go with past experience, than it looks like Torterra would leave as last time around, Ash kept the regionnal bird around and all of his pokemon that weren't fully evolved, leaving his fully evolved pokemon at Oak. But somehow, I see a lot of patterns being broken this time around...
Buizel has defeated its own evolved form, knows an attack that isn't of normal-type or its own type... He has pikachu syndrome written all over him and I just don't see him evolving... So, after the league, there's no a whole lot of things to do with the character plotwise. Torterra, also, struggled with evolution, had to adapt, will likely reach its final form by the League and will likely become a powerhouse... but plotwise again, pretty much nothing left to do with him... I think that Infernape, Torterra and Buizel will actually leave the main cast after the League, though if one of them had to stay, I think it would be Torterra.
Pikachu stays of course, Staraptor and Gible too. Now, while I love the character, I think Infernape will get the boot... All of the major events that happenned to him have been linked to Paul and since he's fully evolved and that a potential Paul vs Ash match at the league with Ash would litteraly close every single one of Infernape's plotlines... The more I think about it, the more the crazy theory that Infernape will return to Paul seems more and more plausible... But oaked or pauled, I don't see Infernape staying on Ash's roster after the League...
Now between Buizel and Torterra... If we go with past experience, than it looks like Torterra would leave as last time around, Ash kept the regionnal bird around and all of his pokemon that weren't fully evolved, leaving his fully evolved pokemon at Oak. But somehow, I see a lot of patterns being broken this time around...
Buizel has defeated its own evolved form, knows an attack that isn't of normal-type or its own type... He has pikachu syndrome written all over him and I just don't see him evolving... So, after the league, there's no a whole lot of things to do with the character plotwise. Torterra, also, struggled with evolution, had to adapt, will likely reach its final form by the League and will likely become a powerhouse... but plotwise again, pretty much nothing left to do with him... I think that Infernape, Torterra and Buizel will actually leave the main cast after the League, though if one of them had to stay, I think it would be Torterra.